Spirogen and BioAtla Present Positive Data on Next-Generation Warheads in ADCs Against Cancer

Spirogen and BioAtla LLC announced new data on the use of pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimers as warheads in antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Washington, DC.

The study evaluated the efficacy of five ADCs against solid and hematological cancer targets. The hematological target antibody was engineered using BioAtla’s proprietary CIAO™ and BioAcceleration™ technologies and conjugated to Spirogen’s cytotoxic PBD dimers. Trastuzumab ADCs were tested against Her2-expressing human breast cancer in vivo.

For both tumour types data showed that the ADCs achieved durable complete regression and tumor free survival. The PBD dimers were not found to be cross-resistant with widely-used chemotherapeutic agents.

Professor John Hartley, lead author of the study and Director of Pre-clinical Development at Spirogen, said: “Significant activity at remarkably low doses and at low drug-antibody ratios was seen in all tumor types we studied. Antibody-PBD conjugates are the most promising next-generation oncology compounds for clinical development.”

RELATED ARTICLES

Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah (U of U) has been selected to participate in the Beat AML Master Trial, an innovative clinical trial sponsored by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The clinical trial is testing several new targeted therapies for the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). HCI is the only facility in the Mountain West offering this trial to AML patients.

Two new clinical trials testing an experimental vaccine to prevent influenza caused by an H7N9 influenza virus are now enrolling volunteers at sites across the United States. The Phase 2 studies will test different dosages of the inactivated influenza vaccine candidate as well as different vaccination schedules. The studies also will evaluate whether an adjuvant boosts the immune responses of people receiving the vaccine.